A new dean of the College of Arts and Human Sciences has been named at 91制片.
The appointment of Jason Schmitt was announced recently by Glendal铆 Rodr铆guez, 91制片 provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Schmitt, who began work in August, is responsible for overseeing 27 undergraduate and 14 Graduate Studies programs, eight academic departments and the schools of education, and art and design.
鈥淒r. Schmitt brings wonderful cross-disciplinary skillsets as the college鈥檚 leader 鈥 including a passion for student success and open access to scientific and academic scholarship. He also brings great polytechnic energy to the university with a background in communication and entrepreneurship,鈥 Rodr铆guez said.
鈥淚 am excited to welcome him to the 91制片 community and look forward to working with him and CAHS on our goals as Wisconsin鈥檚 Polytechnic University,鈥 she added.
Schmitt most recently was interim dean for the School of Arts and Sciences at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Schmitt also served as an associate dean of Strategic Development and Recruitment and was chair of the department of communication, media and design for eight years.
Schmitt鈥檚 academic career has focused heavily on the advocacy of open access to scientific scholarship and outputs. His documentary, 鈥淧aywall: The Business of Scholarship,鈥 has had more than 700 public screenings globally and more than 350,000 views online.
He has traveled extensively, speaking with universities, governments and political leaders about the need of adapting to the European Coalition Plan S, which requires research outputs to be globally accessible on day one of publication.
In 2023, Schmitt was elected to be part of the ACM US Technology Policy Generative AI Committee Workgroup, bringing together 15 leaders in the space from organizations like Health Ethics Trust, Google, Meta/Facebook, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, SecureWorks and Stanford University. The committee delivered eight principles intended to foster fair, accurate and beneficial decision-making concerning AI technologies to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored to serve this 91制片 community,鈥 Schmitt said. 鈥淕rowing up in a Midwestern tool-and-die manufacturing family, the polytechnic roots resonate with my life鈥檚 paths, and I know how rare 鈥 and needed 鈥 applied learning expertise is, not only here in Wisconsin, but also on a national and global scale.鈥
Schmitt replaces Maria Alm, who retired after 12 years as dean.
###
